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Falkland Islands, new destination for successful UK online Travel in Depth

Paul Carberry is setting off on a two-week tour of the Falkland Island

A United Kingdom independent online travel company specializing in wilderness adventures is expecting at least a 10% rise in sales in the next year after adding extra destinations to its portfolio, including the Falkland Islands.

Travel in Depth  specializes in trips to New Zealand but has recently launched Wilderness In Depth, creating holiday experiences in some of the more wild and remote areas of the world, according to a report from Shelina Begum in the Manchester Evening News.

So far the Buxton company which was set up in 2003, is providing trips to Tanzania and Guyana and hopes to expand into Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and the Falkland Islands as well as creating a separate site for holidays to Australia.

Boss Paul Carberry hopes sales will reach the £1m mark during the next three years. Turnover to the end of May was £700,000.

Founder Paul, who is setting off on a two-week tour of the Falkland Islands this month said he was excited about the new developments.

“We have created a niche market for people who don't want to go on the normal beach holidays and want to get off the beaten track. We cater for hundreds of people throughout the year from all over the UK, and from the US, Malaysia and even Japan”, he said.

”Many of our clients who had been to New Zealand often came back and asked us about other countries, so we decided to set up the wilderness arm of the group to cater for this market.

“The Falkland Islands, for example, is a totally new destination which we think will attract a lot of interest, not only because of its historical link to Britain but also because it's got beautiful landscapes and its wildlife is diverse, with penguins, dolphins, whales and seals.

“I've been fascinated by the Falkland Islands since I was boy watching the television in 1982 and I was determined to get there one day. Of course the Falklands are well known to most people in the UK because of the conflict but that is as much as many people know - more than one of my existing clients has quipped about there surely being nothing there other than sheep and landmines.

“What surprises them is to hear about the diversity and abundance of the wildlife and add to this the beautifully stark landscapes and the fact that very few people are prepared to make the effort to get there and you have a fabulous destination for anyone looking for a unique ”off the beaten track“ experience.

As we are a small company, introducing the Falkland Islands as one of our key destinations is a significant investment for us and a bit of a leap of faith as I recognise that the market is not enormous. However, I believe that the island experience is as much about the people as it is the wildlife and scenery.

The fact that we are a small, owner operated business presents us with a rare opportunity to work very closely with both our clients and operators on the ground in the islands to create truly special personalised experiences that I hope will lead to us becoming recognised as one of the principal specialists in Falkland Islands holidays.

Paul, who runs the business from home, decided to set up the business after traveling himself. After working at Michelin Tyres, he decided to quit and start his own enterprise.

”I gave up a £30,000-a -year job with benefits and a car to set up my own business,“ he said.

”My father was in the industry – he even worked for Air New Zealand and had his own travel company where I used to help out.

After my own travels to New Zealand, I knew the travel industry was something I would like to get back into.

“We specialized in New Zealand in the first few years until my business partner Yvonne Cohen joined us in 2005, and we started looking at developing the business and taking on new destinations.

”Our clients come from all walks of life and they all want a different holiday experience.

“We work very closely with them and will often go and visit them at their homes and talk through their requirements.

”Some people can pay between £7,000 for a holiday up to £30,000; it depends on what they want. A lot of our business comes from referrals which we are proud of and believe is a result from the close attention we pay to our customers”.